R. V. Polchaninoff was born on 27 January 1919 in Novocherkassk, Russia, where his father served on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief
of the White Army. He was evacuated with his family from Sevastopol to Constantinople (Istanbul) in November 1920, finally
settling in Yugoslavia. There Polchaninoff finished his schooling and began studies in the law department of the University
of Belgrade.